Even a less interested observer would notice a series of consecutive strong media campaigns where, on non-existent issues and problems, certain circles from different sides of the political spectrum attempt to portray the Serbian Orthodox Church as a perennial culprit. Some do this out of ignorance, others because of ideological blindness or pathological hatred, and still others to cover their own mistakes or even transgressions to some extent. There are even those who belong in the “dunce’s corner,” who accuse the Church in advance, preemptively, for problems they themselves plan to create.

These media campaigns of lies and spins hardly affect the faithful of the Serbian Orthodox Church. They understand, for example, that a bishop who travels thousands of kilometers annually must have a car at his disposal, which is not his personal property but belongs to the Church. No faithful person believes that the Church, which is the only that remained with the people in Kosovo and Metohija, is renouncing the covenantal Serbian land or is planning to rush (!) to switch to the “new” (Gregorian, “Papal”) calendar before the upcoming Easter. The masterminds of political spins and media lies do not craft them to “turn the heads” of believers but to confuse the naive people who are still waking up and becoming aware after decades of communist totalitarianism and state atheism.

The latest toxic spin, spread literally across all major media outlets, concerns the alleged reluctance of the Church to support the Ministry of Health’s Extend Life campaign, or that the Church’s stance on the program of organ donation and transplantation is still “awaited.” However, no one emphasizes the clear example that, on this issue, is publicly set by His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije personally. Namely, every year, at least twice, he is a voluntary blood donor, and at his initiative, all parish homes in Belgrade are available to the Blood Transfusion Institute whenever needed, of which the Church regularly informs her faithful, as well as the public. It is also well-known that certain Serbian Hierarchs have bequeathed their organs and did not hide it from the public. Naturally, many priests have also done so without speaking publicly about it. In the end, no state authority has officially requested an official stance from the Church, let alone that there have been “difficult negotiations,” as some write. As with many important life issues that have faced the faithful (read: the Church) over the past decades, the Church, through its Holy Assembly of Bishops, adopted a stance back in 2004 based on Christ’s teachings and, accordingly, on the Holy Scripture and two millennia of experience (Holy Tradition), by which she agrees with organ transplantation, provided the following conditions are met:

– the donor has voluntarily donated their organs, and

– the donor’s family has posthumously given their consent.

This is valid under the condition that the donor’s death is confirmed by a professional medical commission in accordance with medical ethics. The Holy Assembly of Bishops also affirms organ transplantation from living donors, provided that the donor’s life is not endangered.

In times of growing social inequality, and considering the horrifying experiences of recent wars, one of the most dreadful being the so-called Yellow House in neighboring Albania, our Church will always and unconditionally emphasize that the decision on organ transplantation, whether the “donor” is deceased or alive, is a matter that can only be handled by impeccably moral medical personnel, not by those who are morally indifferent or, even worse, corrupt.

In this regard, our Church has always had, and continues to have, an open and ultimately well-intentioned stance on organ transplantation, and being so no one should have the impression that it “needs” or “must” side with or against the positions of current political structures. The Church has a stance, not from yesterday, but for two thousand years now. The insinuation that “negotiations” with the Church are “going poorly,” or have hardly begun, is entirely baseless. Its only result is that certain well-known media, always hostile to the Church and Serbian values, have now come to her defense, citing its past stances and relevant texts, some of which we are republishing with this commentary as a reminder.

The open doors of goodwill, understanding, and love, along with fidelity to the timeless principles and standards of Orthodoxy, whether they are liked or disliked by the current bearers of social responsibility and state-political authority, should not be broken down by a tank, but simply walked through.

The Information Service of the
Serbian Orthodox Church

Source: spc.rs